Writer's block: How to keep your river of words and ideas flowing

Letters Editor Betty Talbert writes: Writer’s block is a thoroughly annoying problem but one that can be overcome. Though I know many professional writers who cannot seem to stop the flood of eloquent words from escaping their keyboard, many of us are not so gifted and work hard at keeping our river of words controlled and flowing.

Think of yourself as a professional writer. A professional writer is a problem solver who can uncover and sharpen the meaning in those series of words called "sentences" and overcome any obstacles of grammar, syntax and logic in order to inform the reader about something important.

By this definition, professional writing takes expertise but also a certain amount patience with tinkering to uncover the form beneath the words. Professionals get paid for solving these problems of form and function but learn the lessons of the trade long before they earn their first dollar. Fortunately, it is never too late to learn how to write more professionally, which includes some of these tips on overcoming writer's block:

Read about your topic after you have finished writing for that day. Journalist and novelist Ernest Hemingway wrote daily, but he read afterward so that his conscious and subconscious mind would continue to percolate until he returned to his text. In Hemingway's words: “But afterwards, when you were empty, it was necessary to read in order not to think or worry about your work until you could do it again. From: “Earnest Hemingway on Writing,” edited by Larry W. Phillips.

A second trick of Hemingway’s was to stop writing when you still had something to say on the subject. " I had learned already never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that feed it." From: “Earnest Hemingway on Writing.” So leave at least one important thought to write later, instead of stopping when you are “all written out” and dry as a bone.

Use the stages in writing vs. editing to your own advantage to forestall blockages: I tend to grind out a rough draft as quickly as possible. When I get that draft, I set it aside for a little while (a few minutes or overnight or a week depending on the deadline). As an editor I have the most fun when hammering out the right words and playing with text that is already there, so I try to power through to the rough draft stage as soon as possible so I can edit. Some of you may enjoy spending time within the chaos of research and birthing the initial draft better than I do and you may enjoy the editing part of writing less. Let yourself come back later to the process you enjoy the most first before moving to the part of the writing stage you may like the least. Doing this will energize you so you can confidently power into the next stage. This will also help you avoid some burn out and writer’s block.

Hammer out a working draft before worrying about grammar and editing. When you have a draft, then you can alternate the editing process with further rewrite and/or research. If you try to rewrite and edit grammar and details at all once you can also get stuck. Try just rewriting (the broader thoughts and logic) or editing the details (the grammar etc.) but not both at the same time to see if you can sidetrack writer's block. (See my blog "Assembly line editing" for more on this)

Try mulling: write in your head before writing your thoughts down on paper. In other words, think about what you want to say next when not working on the draft (when at the park, in the shower, on a road tip, when cleaning house!) without feeling the pressure to get it down on paper, unless you have a phrase, sentence or idea that is worth remembering, then jot it down to kick start your next writing session.

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the Editor: E-mail to letters@ocregister.com.
Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published).
Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds
each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.